Electric cradling basket



Oct. 30, 1962 G. D. LYLEs ETAL ELECTRIC CEADLING BASKET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17, 1960 George 0. Ly/es Edgar E Gr/lswo/oj Howard L Genf/e INVENTORS 9 BY @www 94 ana/way 3mm Il l" Oct-'30 1962 G. D. I YLEs ETAL 3,060,461

y ELECTRIC CRADLING BASKET Filed Feb. 17. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 69 l 6967 67 I rr 50 50 A 4860 54 64 l 4554' 5? /fn///////////// I/ /l/// l \n 65 l l m 5 52 /8 74 George D. Ly/es Edgar Griswold; Jr: 66 Howard L. Genf/e INVENTORS BY Wwf-mq,

3,060,461 ELECTRIC CRADLING BASKET George D. Lyles, Tullahoma, and Edgar F. Griswold, Jr., Winchester, Tenn., and Howard L. Gentle, Huntsville, Ala.; said Griswold assigner to said Gentle Filed Feb. 17, 1960, Ser. No. 9,359 3 Claims. (El. 5-109) The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a mobile electric motor powered baby cradling device through the medium of which a restless baby may be rocked and lulled to sleep and otherwise soothed and quieted.

Brieiiy summarized the improved contruction herein revealed and claimed is characterized by a readily maneuverable and rollable support which, in turn, involves a stand. This stand may conveniently include a hollow multipurpose cabinet or base equipped on its underneath side and at the corner portions thereof with free swivelling casters or equivalent rollers. Sliding drawers in this cabinet serve for convenient storing and use of diapers and infants clothing and whatever is customarily needed in the users nursery.

An important feature of the present invention resides however in the structural means rendering it practical and possible for one to utilize infant baskets and bassinets for accommodatingly rolling, rocking, and handling the infant or baby with requisite nicety. In carrying out this aspect of the concept, two inverted spaced parallel uprights are mounted atop and rise perpendicularly from the cabinet or hollow base. The apical or crotch portions have bearings mounted therein. The bearings serve to accommodate trunuions or journals axially aligned with each other and mounted on the respective ends of a bassinet holding and cradling frame.

More specifically, novelty ispredicated on the structural features so far touched upon and, more particularly, upon the utilization of a simply hung electric motor which operates a crank and which in turn cooperates With and actuates a pitman, said pitman being an integral part of a novel one-piece cradling frame, the upper part of the frame having an elongated loop-like member to embrace and support an insertable and removable basket or bassinet.

'In addition to the above, the invention involves a mercury-actuated switch carried by the frame and which is set into motion by movements of the infant or baby confined in the bassinet, said switch serving to energize an electric timer having dial means whereby it may be set to switch the motor ott" after the same has been running continuously for an apparently sufficient interval of time.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG. l is a view in perspective of a nursery-type electric motor-powered or operated baby cradling basket or bassinet constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a section on the vertical line 2-2 of FIG. `1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional or vertical section with parts in elevation and showing the component par-ts not too clearly seen in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the aforementioned novel bassinet holding and cradling frame.

Starting with the lower part of the over-all stand it Will be evident that this part takes the form of a hollow base, or cabinet, here shown as generally rectangular in form and which, in practice, is usually constructed of a suitable grade of commercial plastics, for example, liber-glass. As the views of the drawings clearly show, the base is a hol- 3,060,46l Patented Oct. 30, 1962 low cabinet having a liat horizontal top wall 8, vertical end walls .10 and vertical front and back walls 12. and 14, respectively. Except for the open bottom and an elongated clearance slot `16 which is located :at the left hand end of the cabinet top, the cabinet may otherwise be said to be substantially closed. Of course, the front wall 12 is provided with drawer openings 14 with which the sliding drawers have cooperative association. The drawers are simple sliding receptacles as seen in FIG. 2. Each drawer is denoted by the numeral 1-8 and is of rectangular boxlike form and is slidable on suitable track rails 20 fitted in the compartment portion of the cabinet or base. The front end wall of each drawer 24 has an appropriate handgrip or pull as denoted at 26. These drawers, as before pointed out, may be used for accessible storage of miscellaneous items, such as diapers, rompers, and so on.

The opening 28 in the end wall as seen in FIG. 2, is covered by a readily applicable and removable cover plate 30 which supports an olf-on switch 32 and an electric timer. The timer comprises a box 34 and an exterior handcontrolled knob 36 operating an indicator or nger which is adapted to coact with a graduated time setting dial 38. Thus, this timer and switch-equipped plate 30 is applied and bolted in place for practical results in the manner shown.

Attention is now conveniently invited to a suitable electric motor 40 suspended in a U-shaped hanger 42, said motor operating a crank 44 having a crank pin '46.

Reference may now be conveniently had to FIG. 4 wherein the part illustrated comprises a holding and cradling frame denoted generally by the numeral 45. This unit is constructed of suitable sheet metal or equivalent material and is a one-piece structure and is characterized by a horizontal ovate or loop-shaped member 48 the rounded ends 49 of which are provided with axially :aligned outstanding jouraling pins 50. A 'vertical U-shaped member is also embodied and this has a horizontal elongated bight portion 52 and arms or limbs 54 connected to the rounded end portions 49. This thus constructed frame serves to seat an aptly fitted bassinet or basket denoted generally by the numeral 56. The basket has an appropriate bottom 58, wicker or equivalent wall 6i), pad or cushion 62 and appropriate launderable insertable and removable lining 64. This basket or bassinet is litted removably into the frame and of course, rocks in conjunction with the frame when the frame is rocked. To -accomplish the cradling or rockin-g action the bight portion 52 is provided at one end with a simple pitman 66 having an elongated slot 68 therein and into which the crank pin 46 extends in the manner shown in FIG. 3.

The cradling frame 45 and bassinet therein is situated between a pair of inverted V-shaped uprights l63 having downwardly diverging legs `65 fixed to and rising up'- wardly from the cabinet top 8. Short sleeves 67 are fixed in the apical or crotch portions 69 and provide suitably aligned bearings for the aforementioned journals 50.

As seen perhaps best in FIGS. l and 3 the arm at the left is provided with a bracket or clip 70 which supports a suitably constructed mercury switch 72 having a conductor 74 electrically connected thereto and with the conductor connected in turn with the timer 34 as seen in FIG. 3. Current is supplied to the olf-on switch 32. by way of a conductor 76 which is wired and attached to the switch in the manner seen in FIG. 3. The switch is wired at 7S to the timer and the arrangement in wiring may, of course, vary, the main idea being to provide an olf and on switch which is convenient and may be readily reached by the mother from her own bed with the device itself presiding alongside the bed. Then the timer can be set for a reasonable length of cradling or rocking time. It follows that as the infant or baby actively shifts and moves about in the bassinet, the mercury switch will be sooner or later tripped and this action will start the motor. The motor, crank and pitman will, of course, oscillate or rock the cradling frame 45 back and forth which, in turn, actuates the basket or bassinet. As before mentioned, the timer is set so that the motor will be turned off and the cradling frame brought to a standstill at lany desired or predetermined interval of time.

It is also desirable in a construction of this type to have it readily portable and mobile. To this end, lugs 90 are provided as seen in FIG. 2 and the lugs support the spindles 92 on the casters 94.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to Ithose skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

l. For use in a nursery for cradling a baby to sleep, a baby cradler comprising, in combination, a stand embodying a mobile base, uprights attached to and rising perpendicularly from the base and having axially aligned bearings, a basket receiving frame located between the uprights and provided at ends thereof with journals, said journals being mounted for rotation in said bearings, a prime mover on said base, and an operating connection between the prime mover and cradling frame for rocking said frame to and fro, said operating connection embodying a manually regulatable timer, and circuit make and break means connected with an end of said frame and with said timer for commencing operation of the prime mover and timer in response to rocking of the basket receiving frame by the baby.

2. An automatic cradling device for rocking babies to sleep comprising, base means, frame means carried by the base means extending `upwardly therefrom, basket receiving means pivotally suspended by the frame means about an axis spaced above the base means, poweroperated rocking means operatively connected to the basket receiving means extending downwardly below the frame means for displacement from -a vertically centered position to impart controlled rocking movement to the basket receiving means disposed below said axis, and timer means operatively connected to the rocking means regulating the duration of rocking movement and displacement responsive means mounted adjacent a lower portion of the basket receiving means and operatively connected to the rocking means and timer means for initiating the controlled rocking movement in response to pendulous movement of the basket receiving means.

3. A self-energizing and de-energizing electric cradle, comprising in combination, a rockably mounted infant support, an electric motor, means operatively connecting said motor to said support for rocking the same, a tiltresponsive electric switch carried by said support, said switch being open when said support is stationary but being closed when tilted by rocking of the support in response to movements of an infant therein, said switch being in circuit with said motor and a source of electric current whereby the motor may be energized by closing of the switch, and a timer in circuit with said motor for de-energizing the same after a predetermined period of operation.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,758,546 Wartmann May 13, 1930 2,505,626 Palmer Apr. 25, 1950 2,631,302 Bryant Mar. 17, 1953 2,758,319 Fehrman Aug. 14, l1956 2,765,478 Pinto Oct. 9, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 8,886 Great Britain 1894 557,338 Italy Feb. 14, 1957 

